"I wish the others didn't go to that movie," Hermione complained as she, Ron, and Jacquel stood in front of the bookstore, hoping to be picked up. "Besides, The Cybernetic Girl isn't that good."

"How can they poke fun at scientists in that movie?" Jacquel snapped. "When last I checked, making fun of nerds and geniuses isn't funny, nor is it cool. Especially not when they have contributed so much to the world."

Ron frowned as he said, "That man in the wheelchair was onto us. I mean, he's talking about Greek mythology and ancient heroes and..."

"But this is why I need you to read about something other than Quidditch," said Jacquel. "You need to read the ancient classics and study them and not try to eat knowledge like Hermione does."

"I do not eat knowledge!" Hermione protested.

"Do too!" Ron snapped back.

Jacquel frowned as she said, "Let's go get something to eat."

Ron and Hermione agreed to this and the three teenagers wandered around New York seeing restaurants and coffee shops, but nothing caught their interests. Just as they were about to give up, the same man in the wheelchair they saw in the bookstore came towards them and said, "You should know it's unsafe for you children to be wandering in the streets of New York by yourselves."

"Well, our parents were supposed to pick us up, but they're not here right now," Jacquel said nervously as she looked around her. She was thinking the Weasleys could care less about Ron; all they wanted was Harry. I should have made Harry come with us to the bookstore when I had the chance!

"Are you children hungry?" said the man.

"Yes, we are," said Ron.

"First, I'd like to know your name," Hermione snapped at him. Jacquel glared at her as she said, "What? I don't like strangers! They can kidnap and kill us, you know."

"I think we have no choice but to trust him," said Ron. "And Jacquel's right; no one has come for us yet." Jacquel nodded, wondering what had gone wrong since the moment the Weasleys had dropped them off at the bookstore. Although Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had promised to retrieve them after dropping Harry, Fred, George, and Ginny at the movies, they hadn't showed up yet. And the movie had ended 30 minutes ago.

Hermione frowned, saying, "I guess we don't have a choice. We're going to have to trust him."

"Good," said the man. "And my name should no doubt be familiar to you."

"How?" Ron cried out.

"And who are you?" Said Hermione.

"I'm a teacher of heroes," said the man.

Jacquel grabbed Ron's book and flipped several pages to see a huge man teaching a young boy. "Chiron," she murmured as she tried to remember exactly reading the book. She had, at one point, but when she received the order to attend Hogwarts, Dumbledore had taken her favorite book and sold it.

"You're correct," said Chiron. "I am Chiron. I have taught many of the heroes most people know. Achilles, Theseus, Perseus, and Jason. You know who they are, and you know their deeds. I see that one of you is well-versed in mythology."

"But are they real?" Jacquel asked.

"There are twelve main gods in Greek mythology," said Chiron. "They are Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, and Athena. They rule over all the earth. They sometimes come to earth and mingled with ordinary mortals. From those unions come the demigods."

"Demigods?" Ron questioned.

"Demigods," said Chiron. "The children of men and gods. They are very powerful and yet, very dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Ron gasped in horror. "Dangerous how?"

"The more powerful you are, the more danger surrounds you," said Chiron. "Monsters will seek you out and destroy you."

"So what do we do about it?" Hermione snapped in anger.

"There's a safe place for demigods called Camp Half-Blood," said Chiron. "There, you will train and learn how to survive in a world that's populated by gods, demigods, and monsters."

"Hold on a second," said Jacquel. Chiron stared at her. "Now let me get this straight: you're talking about Greek mythology and Zeus and monsters. I think I missed something here."

"Like what?" said Hermione.

"Such as the part where Ron is a demigod," Jacquel said.

Chiron stared at her and said, "Dear child, be so slow as to mention that aloud." Ron and Hermione stared at her. "You may never know who may be listening."

"But this is New York," said Hermione. "We're just faces in a crowd. Who would want to listen to us anyway?"

"There are monsters everywhere," said Chiron. "You may not notice them right away, but they're everywhere. I must hide you with a trusted friend of mine until I can get you safely to camp. Be careful."

Ron, Hermione, and Jacquel stared at each other for a long time. They all found themselves at Subway's eating sandwiches. None of them spoke to each other, but the shock was clearly on their faces. Jacquel said, "How did I know you were a demigod?"

"I wonder if my father or mother was a god," said Ron.

"Mayhaps, or the centaur wouldn't be speaking to us," said Jacquel.

Just then, a man leered in their direction. The children tensed, knowing that their lives were about to change forever...